Composer Q&A: Celebrating 50 Years with John O'Reilly

Congratulations to John O’Reilly on his 400th publication and 50 years of writing and sharing the joy of music-making at Alfred Music. We are incredibly honored to be the recipient of his wisdom and insight throughout the years, as his contributions have helped many students learn to love and excel in music. We recently spoke with John to learn more about how he got his start in music, his greatest influences, advice for future composers, and more.

How did you get your start in writing music? Did anyone in particular give you your first shot?

As an undergraduate student at the Crane School of Music I studied composition with Robert Washburn and Arthur Frackenpohl. I also studied arranging with Donald Hunsberger. I wrote my first band composition in the Spring of my senior year and it was performed by the college wind ensemble. I submitted that piece to Bourne Publishing in New York, and the editor, John Cacavas accepted it for publication in 1963. It was included on one of the first publisher recorded promotions along with Frank Erickson’s Balladair and Eric Osterling’s Charter Oak March.

My next piece was Concerto for Trumpet and Winds published by Shawnee Press in 1965. It was performed by the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. the following year and also the Goldman Band in New York. After that I wrote several ensembles for G. Schirmer where Frank Edrickson was the editor. My Metropolitan Brass Quintet premiered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC in 1970 and was published by Kendor Music. My first Alfred Music publication was Kings Go Forth in 1970. From then on, all of my 400 compositions were published by Alfred Music.

What was your biggest challenge in your career?

For many years I wrote at least 12 pieces a year that correlated with the Basic Band Method , the Yamaha Band Student and Accent on Achievement , and four or five correlated to Strictly Strings . In addition I continued to accept and complete commissions for more advanced ensembles and frequently conducted all state and regional honor bands. Along with this writing schedule my “day gig” was editor in chief and Executive Vice president of Alfred Music.

What would you consider the most challenging aspect of composing music for bands and orchestras?

Writing for school bands and orchestras is always challenging because you’re never quite sure what the instrumentation is going to be. “Will there be an oboe and bassoon?” “Might there be three tenor saxes?” When I write chamber music I know exactly what I’m writing for.

Who has been your biggest influence in shaping your compositions?

Robert Washburn and Arthur Frackenpohl at the Crane School and Charles Walton at Columbia University where I completed my graduate work.

What was your favorite piece of performance music that you wrote? Why?

Spirit of Flight was commissioned by the Air Force Academy Band and it premiered at the Reagan Library in the Air Force One Pavilion with Col. Steve Grimo conducting. My family and several Alfred employees were able to attend the performance that night. I first met Steve Grimo when he was the conductor of the New England Conservatory youth band and they performed several of my pieces at a national MENC conference. I have subsequently conducted Spirit of Flight with several excellent college bands.

What would you say to someone who wants to become a composer? Any words of advice?

If you want to write music that will be published and sold, you must understand the marketplace. It is quite difficult to have a grade 5 piece accepted for publication. There is more demand for easier pieces, but you have to be well versed in all the technical problems young players have. My 10 years of public school teaching prepared me well for a career that focused on young band and orchestra music.

What prompted you to write Accent on Achievement ?

I had already written two band methods with Sandy Feldstein. Basic Band Method in 1977 and Yamaha Band Student in 1987. By 1990 the Yamaha method was probably the most popular method in North America. In 1995 Mark Williams suggested writing a new method that was more geared toward the middle school beginner and also addressed the newly issued National Standards. We decided to give it a shot and book one came out in 1997. Mark and I worked well together and we completed three levels and several ensemble books over the next few years. 23 years later Accent on Achievement is still one of the most popular methods used. Many universities have their Music Education students study the various methods available and compare them. I’m always delighted to see how well Accent on Achievement does in those studies.

Where do you get your inspiration for writing music?

My young band and orchestra music is in large part very practical and not particularly inspired. On the other hand, the 50 commissioned works that I have written for more advanced bands all have a story behind them. A few years back, at my wife's insistence, I wrote a pretty complete narrative about the creation and first performance of all those pieces. I always wrote specifically for the strengths and weaknesses of the commissioning group and insisted on conducting the premier performance. That document along with many original scores and recordings is housed in the American Bandmasters Association archives at the University of Maryland.

You have had some very significant collaborations with Sandy Feldstein and Mark Williams. Can you speak to those relationships and the projects that were created during those times?

Sandy Feldstein and I first met as college students at the Crane School of Music in 1958. We ended up working together at Alfred Music from 1973 to 1989. During that time we created the Basic Band Method and the Yamaha Band Student . In addition, we published around 50 pieces that are identified as Feldstein/O’Reilly compositions. In reality, we each wrote our own pieces but kept both names on all the publications that correlated with the two methods. Sandy’s strengths and interests tended towards the pop side and mine toward the more serious so we complimented each other in that way. Sandy left Alfred Music in 1989 to become president of what was then Belwin Music, so John Kinyon and I wrote book three of Yamaha and also all the ensemble material. When I joined Alfred in 1973 John Kinyon’s Mini Score series was very successful and I felt honored to become his editor and good friend for many years.

I’m proud to say that I selected and published Mark William’s first composition Greenwillow Portrait and recognized him as a major talent. He quickly became one of the most popular young band composers in North America and left his long time elementary band director job to pursue writing full time. We started talking about a new band method around 1995 and introduced Accent on Achievement in 1997. Mark had been a very successful teacher and had an incredible grasp of all the band instruments. Although he was a clarinetist, he also performed on oboe, bassoon and flute. As a hobby he joined a brass band and ended up being solo cornet before taking over as the director. This background was very helpful in developing the new method. Mark lived in Spokane, WA and I was in Los Angeles so he would frequently fly to LA and stay at our house so we could work together. Over the course of four years we completed three levels of the method and a collection of ensemble books. We chose to keep our own names on all the band music we created. After the method was completed I hired Mark to be the Alfred String Editor for several years before his tragic and untimely death in 2008. At that time we had been in serious discussions about creating another new method or possibly updating Accent on Achievement .

Given the challenges of the present state of our world due to the pandemic, what thoughts do you have about school bands and the music industry going forward?

I’m very concerned about the future of school bands. It will be awhile before we pack a bunch of kids in a crowded band room. I think small ensembles will become very popular. I hope our beginning band programs continue with small group lessons. If we don’t keep starting kids the whole band movement will be in jeopardy.

What do band directors in 2020 look for in the music they are programming that is the same as they did in 1970? What are they looking for that is different?

I think the main difference between 1970 and 2020 is the large amount of pop music played today. When I see programs from today’s bands, pop tunes seem to be the majority of the program. In 1970 a typical program might include one pop tune along with a march, several original pieces and a transcription.